By John Corrado
The 2025 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 24th to May 4th in Toronto
Shot on luminous 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is a portrait of Agatha Bock, a subject who, in her mid-eighties, is proudly carrying on the traditions of rural farm living in southern Manitoba.
The film is directed by Agatha’s niece, Amalie Atkins, who films her aunt undertaking a series of mundane tasks. Agatha does not live a flashy life, and the film reflects that. But, the saturated 16mm cinematography gives it an ethereal look; Agatha’s Almanac looks and feels like an artifact from the 1970s. It’s almost a portrait of a dying way of life.
Atkins captures the changing seasons and the rhythms of farm life. Throughout it all, Agatha keeps hanging on. She tells stories about familial loss and past heartbreaks, but she seems content with the way of life she has settled into now. She eats simple turnip sandwiches for supper. We watch her planting potatoes, winnowing beans, picking strawberries, and making homemade pierogies.
As a feature debut, Atkins has crafted a loving portrait of her aunt. She films her carefully repairing her worn out shoes, and doing DIY repairs around the house with duct tape (“first masking tape, then duct tape, and it will hold forever,” she says, as she shows how she sealed up around her windows). Nothing is wasted, everything serves a purpose.
Agatha is the only one seen onscreen, with her narration and storytelling recalling an aunt or grandmother that you keep listening to because you want to learn something from them. There’s an ephemeral quality to the film, with its images that already feel out of the past. A quietly lovely artistic documentary.
Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)
The Joy of Movies 